Condensate pump



"JET?" Feb. 14,1961

B. E. KONOPKA ETAL CONDENSATE PUMP Filed May 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BERNARD E KONOPKA.

WILL) E. Z/MMERMANN INVENTORS.

By @W Arromvzx Feb. 14, 1961 Filed May 7, 1956 B. E. KONOPKA ET AL CONDENSATE PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BERNARD E. KONOPKA.

WILL) E. Z/MMERMANN.

INVENTORS.

firm/wax United States Patent- O CONDENSATE PUMP Bernard E. Konopka, Fort Wayne, Ind., and. Willy E.

Zimmermann, Chicago, Ill., assignors to March Manufacturing Co., Skokie, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 7, 1956, Ser. No. 582,981

1 Claim. (Cl. 103-87) The present invention pertains to a novel pump designed particularly for draining purposes, but also capable of service for the general purposes of elevating water a housing, whereby the lower portion thereof may be sub- 3" merged under water as in a drip pan beneath an air conditioning apparatus, and which will run for long periods of time at high efficiency and without trouble or care.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pumping unit comprising motor and pump in which the parts are closely coupled and in which the whole of the instrumentality is of low height and small mass, whereby it will fit conveniently into very tight drip pan locations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump construction and method of pumping water and other liquids, wherewith both the driving motor and pump impeller may be correctly centered in vertical alignment within the pump housing of lightweight casting and wherewith the impeller may be properly borne and suspended within the pump chamber and supported both axially and radially with such accuracy by the casting of the housing to obviate outboard bearings, universal joints or loose couplings between the motor and impeller,

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump of the class described with a more efficient seal for preventing fluid being pumped and/or from seeping into the motor chamber.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary pump handling a substantial volume of water and having a natural tendency to create a circular motion of the body of water in which the pump is partially submerged, mixing air with water, and including airbleed passageways to effectively prevent, check, or relieve air locks within the pumping chamber. By the prescut invention, air-bleed passageways are provided within a partition separating the interior of the pump housing into a pump chamber on the lower side thereof and a motor chamber on the upper side thereof, the air-bleed passageways forming channels between the low pressure,

areas of the pumping chamber with the exterior of the pump housing, which effectively checks, prevents, or relieves the formation of an air lock within the pump chamber.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making and assembling a pump for carry- Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation, partially broken away and in section, illustrating the condensate pumping unit of the invention in operative relation to a drip pan beneath an evaporator, or an air conditioning apparatus, from which liquid is to be pumped and in which the unit is partially immersed;

Figure 2 is an end view of the condensate pumping unit;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the condensate pumping unit shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, of an improved condensate pumping unit constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 with the bottom cover plate removed, showing the impeller assembled within the impeller cavity;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view of the central portion of the partition between the motor chamber and the pumping chamber illustrating the airbleed channels and grommet cavity;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 with a grommet assembled in its cavity;

Figure 8 is an enlarged, detailed view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 4, illustrating the details of the impeller, the impeller shaft, the sealing grommet and associated portions of the air-bleed passage ways and channels.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a suitable conventional illustrated drip pan, or reservoir, or the like, beneath an evaporator 11, in which a quantity of liquid 12 is contained, said liquid to be removed from the drip pan 10 by the condensate unit or pump 14 partially immersed in said liquid.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, wherein details of the construction of the pumping unit 14 are illustrated, the pumping unit consists of a pump housing 15 constructed from a suitable casting embodying a base portion 16, side walls 17 and end walls 18. Said housing 15 has intermediate the upper portion and the lower portion thereof a transversely extending wall 20, said wall 20 provided with a central opening 21, and dividing the interior of said housing 15 into a motor chamber 22 and a pump chamber 23. Said pump chamber 23 is closed by a bottom plate 24 and forms an impeller cavity 25. Said plate 24 is provided with a central opening 26 for the entry of liquid 12 into impeller cavity 25. The end wall 18 adjacent the base portion 16 is provided with an enlarged boss member 27, said member 27 being bored out to form an interior opening 28 leading into the impeller cavity 25 and also forming an exterior opening 29. The opening 29 is provided with threads to receive a pipe fitting 30 adapted to retain a suitable hose, an iron pipe, or a copper tubing 31. The upper portion of said housing 15 is covered by a metallic closure member 32 secured to the housing 15 by self-tapping screws 33. The lower portion of said housing 15 is formed with four legs 34 whereby the entire unit 14 is supported in the drip pan 10; said legs 34 thereby elevating the bottom plate 24 a desired distance above the bottom of said drip pan 10.

Referring to Figures 4, 6 and 7 in particular, the motor chamber 22 is shown enclosing a motor 35 having a rotor 36 rotatable on a vertical axis and driving a shaft 37. It will be noted that the motor has the field 38 mounted to one side of the rotor 36. Said partition 20, provided with opening 21, is further cored out to form a grommet cavity 40 to retain a grommet 41, clearly shown by Figure 7. The motor thrust bearing 42 is mounted upon said grommet whereby it supports said .ro-

tor 36; said shaft 37 being rotatably mounted in'said grommet. The impeller 43, attached to the lower end of said shaft 37 and driven thereby, is disposed in the im- Said grommet 41 permits the shaft 37 to pass from said motor chamber 22 downwardly into said impeller cavity 25, but otherwise seals the motor chamber from the pump chamber preventing any liquid from entering said motor chamber. 1

Referring particularly to Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, it

will be observed that the partition is provided with two vertical air-bleed passageways 46 and 47, and a horizontal air-bleed channel 48. Said passageways 46 and 47 extend from the impeller cavity to said air-bleed channel 48. Said horizontal channel 48 extends from an opening 50 in the outside of said pump housing through said partition 20 to said passageway 47, past said central opening 21 and into communication with said passageway 46. It will be observed that a continuous passageway is provided for a small quantity of air, and/or water, or both, to pass from the upper portion of the impeller cavity to the outside of said housing 15. Said electric motor is supplied by electric current supplied through power cables 51 and 52, shown by Figures 1 and 4.

From the above, it will be seen that this invention provides an electric pump 14 which can be partially submerged in water in a drip pan 10 for pumping said water 12 to a sewer or to the roof or other desirable place in a building. The motor 35 and pump impeller 43 are correctly centered in vertical alignment within the pump housing 15. The pump 14 is designed for handling a volume of water, drawing the liquid 12 through the central opening 26, said impeller 43 forcing the liquid through openings 28 and 29 and for disposal through the tubing 31. Said impeller 43 also forces air and a small quantity of water 12 outwardly through passageways 46 and 47 and channel 48, said water drawing any air remaining within the impeller cavity to the outside of said housing. The small passageways 46 and 47 and the larger channel 48 form a continuous manifold-type channel between the low pressure area in the impeller cavity 25 to the exterior of the housing 15, which checks and prevents the formation of an air lock within the pump chamber, and/ or impeller cavity.

In assembling a pump of this type, the grommet 41 is placed in the counter bore, or grommet cavity the motor is then placed within the pump housing 15; said motor having threaded studs, or rods, 53 and 54, the lower ends thereof inserted through openings 55 and 56 in base portion 16; nuts 57 and 58 are then placed upon the lower end of said rods 53 and 54 and tightened, special attention being given to see that shaft 37 turns freely; the impeller 43 is then placed upon the free lower end of shaft 37 and soldered in place. The nuts 57 and 58 are then temporarily removed; the bottom plate 24 and a gasket 60 are then placed upon the base portion 16 enclosing the impeller cavity 25; said nuts 57 and 58 are again placed upon the motor studs 53 and 54 and tightened against said plate 24; and finally the plate 24 is tightened against gasket 60 and it against the base portion 16 by machine screws 61 locked in place with shakeproof lockwashers The mode of operation, it is believed will be clear from the foregoing description. The invention is a sim ple method of removing air-which is locked in the impeller cavity due to being trapped by the flow of water coming in the pump inlet 26. Increase of air trapped Within the impeller cavity 25 lowers the efficiency and performance of the pump; therefore, when small size passageways communicate the center area of the impeller cavity 25 with a larger size channel, said channel acts as a manifold and rapidly discharges air within the smaller passageways to the exterior of the housing. The small vertical-passageways are used in communication with the impeller cavity as they are adequate for passage of air but inadequate for the passage of appreciable quantities of water. By this invention, the air-bleeding passageways capture and remove any size or shape of air cloud that may be trapped within the impeller cavity.

The terms and expressions which have been herein employed are usedas terms of description and not limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described this invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a small portable condensate pump of the class de scribed: a housing providing a motor chamber; a pump chamber below said motor chamber; a transverse partition between said motor chamber and said pump chamber; a vertical bore centrally located in said partition; a motor supported in said motor chamber and having its shaft extending downwardly through said bore into said pump chamber; said pump chamber embodying an inlet opening for liquid, an outlet opening for liquid and an impeller cavity; a plurality of small, vertical, air-bleed passages arranged in the upper lateral wall of the impeller cavity in proximity to said vertical bore; said passages having their lower ends forming an entrance into the central portion of said cavity; a horizontal air channel of sufiiciently greater diameter than the diameter of said small vertical passages extending from the upper end portion of said air-bleed passages to the exterior of said housing; the lower ends of said air-bleed passages being the proximal ends thereof, the outer end of said air channel being the distal endthereof, and a pump impeller in said impeller cavity rigidly secured to and designed with the lower end of said motor shaft and rotatable therewith; whereby the distal end of said air channel is open to the atmosphere and the proximal end of said air-bleed passages are in communication with the central portion of said impeller cavity allowing entrapped air within the impeller cavity to escape into the atmosphere.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,939 Stepanoif Nov. 13, 1945 2,639,671 Wagner May 26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 781,629 France May 18, 1935 788,955 France Oct. 2 1, 1935 

